Candidates spending strategically in final days of House District 33 race

Just as they were set to turn in the last of their campaign finance reports on Monday, both House District 33 candidates, Democrat Dianne Primavera and Republican David Pigott, were tailoring their campaign spending to capture the seat that in the last election was decided by just 330 votes.

Pigott expects to raise $76,000 by the end of the campaign, while Primavera's campaign will raise an estimated $140,000.

Both campaigns said their donations signal a solid sign of support that could be the edge needed to capture undecided voters in a district known for some close races. In 2010 Republican Don Beezley edged incumbent Primavera by just 330 votes. Beezley is not seeking re-election.

Primavera, who held the seat in 2006 and 2008 before losing to Beezely in 2010, hopes to win it back the by investing in mailers and other literature and knocking on an estimated 20,000 doors.

Primavera campaign manager Elliot Goldbaum said their strategy was to fundraise early and spend wisely in order to capture each vote.

"Dianne had a tough race in 2010, so the thought was to raise a lot of money and raise it early," he said.

Primavera's campaign expects to raise about $140,000 by the end of the election. That's compared to just under $120,000 raised in her last campaign in 2010.

Goldbaum, who was hired as a full-time campaign director this year, said the funding increase was needed in part to pay for his salary.

Goldbaum said Primavera's campaign this year solicited donations from more than 750 individuals compared to 430 people who contributed to her 2010 campaign. The increase in donors is another important key to winning the race, Goldbaum said.

"This is a testament to her hard work, determination, and the level of support she has to take back this seat," he said.

Pigott said mailers are one piece of the election strategy, but "you get about eight seconds from the mail box to the recycle bin to make voters want to learn more about you," he said.

With just days to go before Election Day, Pigott said the campaign likely has made its last big purchases, which involved printing and mailing a final round of 8,000 postcards. The cards invite residents to meet him for a drink at one of four coffee shops in the House District 33 boundaries.

"I figure people are tired of the phone calls," he said. "If they are still undecided, why not meet the candidate yourself?"

Pigott said friends and family were the first to donate funds to his campaign. That money was spent on initial mailers to help introduce him to the community.

Pigott said he now feels confident that the community not only recognizes his name, but sees him as a solid candidate. Contributions show that, he said.

The committee saved 4 cents per mailer by printing promotional postcards locally, then picking them up and driving the materials to a distribution center.

While Pigott and Primavera's campaigns budgeted their contributions to pay for the typical mailers and yard signs, independent expenditure committees, known as Super PACS, accounted for the biggest dollar signs spent on behalf of the two candidates.

According to a recent Denver Post study, Super PACS spent $105,424 on the HD 33 race as of Oct. 21. The report showed that 95 percent of that spending went to efforts in favor of Primavera's campaign.

Yet a tax-exempt organization called Compass Colorado has put big donations behind Pigott's campaign. Compass Colorado spent $300,000 to back Pigott and two other Republican candidates, Senate District 19 candidate Lang Sias and House District 23 candidate Rick Enstrom.

Unlike Super PACS, which must disclose their donors, Compass Colorado is a tax-exempt group that can keep its donors secret.

Donors are pouring money into the HD 33 race this year, because the district represents a deciding vote in the 65-member Statehouse. Republicans hold a 33-to-32 member advantage in the house, while Democrats control the Senate and governor's office.

In 2010, Beezley was one of six new Republican representatives elected to the Statehouse, giving the party control of that body for the first time since 2004.

Pigott's campaign has been dubbed "33 is 33," denoting the seat's importance to the Statehouse balance of power.

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